With the numerous
challenges that they face while in law enforcement, police officers in general
will at one point have to deal with stress.
This includes having to deal with various sources that are associated
with inducing stress in police officers.
Also, exposure to these sources of stress will lead to officers having
to find ways to manage their stress.
This leads up to how it influences the stress of police officers of both
genders.
STRESS
With police officers, identifying sources of stress can help in treating said stress. One source of stress that police officers regularly encounter involves the nature of the work they’re involved in, such as the daily physical demands the job presents to employees such as having to apprehend dangerous criminals (He, Zhao, & Archbold, p. 690, 2002). Police officers also receive stress from the very police organizations they work for because these organizations are militaristic in nature, which can lead to officers isolating themselves from each other (He et al., 2002, p. 690). Stress levels are also influenced depending on whether or not police officers receive help from their fellow co-workers and superiors due to the fact they have a true grasp of the risks involved with policing (He et al., 2002, p. 690). Another source of stress for police officers includes balancing the relationships they have with their job and with their family (He et al. 2002, p. 691). Along with having to deal with the daily stress that the police field has to offer, other stress factors also emerge that can inhibit a police officer’s performance. .
STRESS MANAGEMENT
With a large array of sources that can cause police to stress, they must find effective ways to manage their stress. There are two types of coping strategies that police officers tend to use: constructive coping and destructive coping (He et al., 2002, p. 691). Constructive coping is a positive form of handling stress, such as receiving help from loved ones (He et al., 2002, p. 693). On the other side, destructive coping is the negative strategy that police officers use that does more harm to the police officers, ranging from distancing themselves from loved ones to other harmful practices like gambling and smoking (He et al., 2002, p. 691). Destructive coping has also been linked to stress that extends over a long period, and can lead to other consequences from burnout to leaving the police force (He et al., 2002, p. 691). These strategies are crucial in whether or not police officers handle their stress correctly.
GENDER DIFFERENCES
With regards to both sources of stress and how it is handled, gender plays a key role in both of these areas for police officers (He et al., 2002, p. 688). For example, trying to balance work and family responsibilities is a major source of stress for female police officer as the job isn’t exactly flexible, and the extra work they put in at home will put them at risk for various health issues (Gächter, Savage, and Torgler, 2011, p. 72). Also, women are more likely to have difficulties with regards to networking within police departments (Gächter et al., 2011, p. 72). This is mainly due to the fact that there are not many female police within the police force, which will force female officers to perform at higher levels and separate themselves from their peers (Gächter et al., 2011, p. 70). Levels of stress are also usually measured in various ways such as somatization, which is the occurrence of what they believe to be physical ailments and depression (He et al., 2002, p. 693). These two measures have reported being more common within females than males with regards to types of stress (He et al., 2002, p. 695). Also, the issues regarding balancing work and family along with using destructive coping mechanisms have been found to also contribute to stress in both genders (He et al., 2002, p. 698). Also, population measures and the work environment did not influence stress levels for female officers (He et al., 2002, p. 697). However, female officers tend to use positive coping mechanisms more frequently than men officers (He et al., 2002, p. 698). Overall, female officers not only encounter stress from areas different from male officers, they also handle stress more efficiently (He et al., 2002, p. 698).
STRESS
With police officers, identifying sources of stress can help in treating said stress. One source of stress that police officers regularly encounter involves the nature of the work they’re involved in, such as the daily physical demands the job presents to employees such as having to apprehend dangerous criminals (He, Zhao, & Archbold, p. 690, 2002). Police officers also receive stress from the very police organizations they work for because these organizations are militaristic in nature, which can lead to officers isolating themselves from each other (He et al., 2002, p. 690). Stress levels are also influenced depending on whether or not police officers receive help from their fellow co-workers and superiors due to the fact they have a true grasp of the risks involved with policing (He et al., 2002, p. 690). Another source of stress for police officers includes balancing the relationships they have with their job and with their family (He et al. 2002, p. 691). Along with having to deal with the daily stress that the police field has to offer, other stress factors also emerge that can inhibit a police officer’s performance. .
STRESS MANAGEMENT
With a large array of sources that can cause police to stress, they must find effective ways to manage their stress. There are two types of coping strategies that police officers tend to use: constructive coping and destructive coping (He et al., 2002, p. 691). Constructive coping is a positive form of handling stress, such as receiving help from loved ones (He et al., 2002, p. 693). On the other side, destructive coping is the negative strategy that police officers use that does more harm to the police officers, ranging from distancing themselves from loved ones to other harmful practices like gambling and smoking (He et al., 2002, p. 691). Destructive coping has also been linked to stress that extends over a long period, and can lead to other consequences from burnout to leaving the police force (He et al., 2002, p. 691). These strategies are crucial in whether or not police officers handle their stress correctly.
GENDER DIFFERENCES
With regards to both sources of stress and how it is handled, gender plays a key role in both of these areas for police officers (He et al., 2002, p. 688). For example, trying to balance work and family responsibilities is a major source of stress for female police officer as the job isn’t exactly flexible, and the extra work they put in at home will put them at risk for various health issues (Gächter, Savage, and Torgler, 2011, p. 72). Also, women are more likely to have difficulties with regards to networking within police departments (Gächter et al., 2011, p. 72). This is mainly due to the fact that there are not many female police within the police force, which will force female officers to perform at higher levels and separate themselves from their peers (Gächter et al., 2011, p. 70). Levels of stress are also usually measured in various ways such as somatization, which is the occurrence of what they believe to be physical ailments and depression (He et al., 2002, p. 693). These two measures have reported being more common within females than males with regards to types of stress (He et al., 2002, p. 695). Also, the issues regarding balancing work and family along with using destructive coping mechanisms have been found to also contribute to stress in both genders (He et al., 2002, p. 698). Also, population measures and the work environment did not influence stress levels for female officers (He et al., 2002, p. 697). However, female officers tend to use positive coping mechanisms more frequently than men officers (He et al., 2002, p. 698). Overall, female officers not only encounter stress from areas different from male officers, they also handle stress more efficiently (He et al., 2002, p. 698).